


Assorted : To Stand Ever So Still, All Dress Is Fancy Dress and After School Special

by ballpoint



Category: Marvel 616, Young Allies
Genre: Character of Colour, F/F, Gen, Nostalgia, free for all, intimacy without sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-10-10
Updated: 2010-10-10
Packaged: 2017-10-13 00:52:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/130995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ballpoint/pseuds/ballpoint
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rikki realises that she doesn't miss home as much as she should; Sofia drags Rikki thrift store shopping and there's a ritual the girls do after school, before they both have to go their separate ways.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Assorted : To Stand Ever So Still, All Dress Is Fancy Dress and After School Special

**Author's Note:**

  * For [gloss](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gloss/gifts).



> Disclaimer: Characters and characteristics are property of Marvel comics. No copyright infringement intended.

**To Stand Ever So Still**

When Rikki thinks about home, it isn't with such a sharp pang any more, and on the heels of realising that, she blushes and bows her head. No matter where she is, or in the middle of what she does, that is the fact which makes her pull up short.

"¿ _Que pasa_?" Sofia whispered, before finishing the comment with a small 'pffft', sending a gust of air and spit in Rikki's ear.

"Cut it out," Rikki laughed, while rubbing her ear with her shoulder. "Gross."

"You looked out of it just then," Sofia flicked a few stray hairs from her mouth with her hand. They were on one of the lower rise buildings in the Bronx, with the wind kicking up a bit, blowing the strap of Rikki's goggles in her face. They were on some random apartment high rise somewhere, taking in the sights. They'd spent the past half hour free running and jumping on roof tops.

"I was just waiting for you to spit in my ear. It's a trick, see? I look off in the distance, and -- pfft. I live for it."

Sofia narrowed her eyes. Not that Rikki could see the expression in Sofia's eyes while Sofa was in her Araña costume, but Rikki knew it, because friends knew this stuff. If her brother in her dimension had had his way, Sofia wouldn't have been a friend, she wouldn't have even had the right to exist in his eyes, and -

"Okay, you're really worrying me now," Sofia pushed her goggles up and off her face, so that she looked at Rikki dead on, her eyes huge with worry. "What's wrong?"

"I-" Rikki rubbed at her nose, and shook her head. "I just - I thought about home."

"Oh," Sofia instantly looked contrite, and she placed a hand on Rikki's shoulder. "I'm sorry, of course you would."

"No, no, not in that way," Rikki shook her head. "I'm beginning to think of here as my home. I -" might be a bad person, she finished but kept that thought to herself.

Sofia smiled, and as natural as anything, threw an arm around Rikki's shoulder, pulled Rikki to her, and nuzzled her cheek with such affection, Rikki felt her heart grow full, and her throat close.

"We'll get you back home," Sofia whispered. "I don't know how, but we're gonna try, okay?"

"Okay," Rikki cleared her throat as she looked at Sofia, now so close, with bright brown eyes and hair. Rikki was glad and awed that she found such a friend in this strange land. "Okay," she said again, hoping that they wouldn't find a way to get her back home just yet.

Rikki promised herself that she'd feel bad about that, when she's at her apartment later, alone.

 **All Dress Is Fancy Dress**

Saturday came, and brought with it freedom from school for the next day and a half, and on a whoop, Rikki ran out of her apartment and met Sofia in front of their high school.

"One day, _amiga_ , I'm going to turn up on your doorstep - once I know where you live."

"You can't," Rikki said, "see, I'm an undercover superhero, and in order to protect my loved ones, my apartment must remain secret."

Sofia rolled her eyes, because Rikki never said 'yes'. "I'm your loved one, that's new."

Rikki peered at Sofia through the curtain of her hair, keeping her head down so that Sofia wouldn't see the colour on her cheeks. "That's me, I keep 'em guessing."

Sofia muttered a stream of Spanish under her breath, and not for the first time, Rikki promised herself, that she'd make the time to learn the language. But before she had the chance to promise herself to get to the library and borrow a Rossetta stone CD, Sofia was already off at a trot, and Rikki followed.

"Wait for me."

"Sure, if you promise to show me your apartment."

"That ain't gonna happen."

* * *

 

A half hour later, they found themselves in Doggy's, one of those thrift shops that looked nondescript on the outside, old brick walls painted white, and beside it a barbed wire fence that said no parking. Rikki followed Sofia in, absently wrinkling her nose at the smell of old clothing. Not unpleasant, but very much that faintly sweet, musty scent of age. The store was crammed with clothing and shoes everywhere. Not the clean, well ordered malls that they walked through from time to time, but the slightly crammed, claustrophobic feeling of too much clothing.

"Amazing, check me out." Sofia had on oversized Jackie O glasses, and an army hat.

"Your goggles are cooler," Rikki said, and Sofia's mouth curved as she took off the glasses.

"Look at this," she said, grabbing Rikki's hand as she pulled her over to the section that seemed to be nothing but jackets. Sofia shucked off her jacket, and threw it on Rikki's shoulder, before shrugging into a jacket. Military styled, black, with gold buttons, hitting her knees.

"Wait," Rikki said, as she smoothed the shoulders of the jacket down, and adjusted it for her friend. The jacket looked great, although it might have called for a bit more spit and polish than her friend's leather leggings and high topped sneakers. "I think you need boots."

"Oh sure," Sofia agreed. "But I'm not the only one trying on stuff today."

"It isn't my thing," Rikki began, but her voice trailed off when she saw the look in Sofia's eyes.

When Rikki looked at herself in the dressing room twenty minutes later, she let out a yelp. Sofia found her an old school pea coat, with bright brass buttons, boots that you'd expect to see on a pirate and a scarf that looked like paisley and plaid had a kid.

"I look like Puss in Boots."

Sofia stood behind her, her chin resting on Rikki's shoulder, their cheeks touching. "You have no imagination."

"This scarf is too ugly to live."

"It looks good on you, the colours, I mean."

At Sofia's frown, Rikki sighed, because today was too good a day for her to be spending it acting like the Grinch. "I'll take the coat, nothing else."

"The coat looks like your tunic."

"I have no imagination, right?"

Sofia shook her head, and laughed. "No."

 

 **After School Special**

The school bell rang, signalling dismissal.

Rikki scooped her books in her bag, as she rushed past Mr Dennis, grabbing her test paper from his hand, and stashing it in her jacket, not even bothering to check out her grade. The crush of students was no deterrent to her as she ran to the lockers in the hallway, quickening her step when she saw Sofia there, securing her locker with one of those padlocks that did everything but get you home.

On seeing her, Sofia smiled, and soon, they were out of the school, down the steps and walking along Fort Green street. The day was warm, and fine, and Sofia's shoulders were bare as she wore a white vest with a spider in profile. The sidewalk had shadows from the sunlight dappling through the trees, and they hopped over cracks on the side walk. Rikki had a knack of walking backwards and not bumping into anyone, Sofia, not so much.

By now, they both knew that Rikki walked Sofia home, and Sofia would come up with ways for the walk to last. Like hopping on the steps, or walking along a wall, her hands outstretched, in a see saw motion to keep her balance. Rikki would watch Sofia, sure and graceful as a cat, as she did a few gymnastics routine on the rare wall that had no spikes. Handstands, tumbles, before somersaulting and landing on the ground lightly. Rikki clapped and whistled, while Sofia gave one of those small, regal nods, as if those reactions were only her due.

When Sofia had money, they'd pop into Connecticut Muffin. They'd sit in the shop, facing each other across the table, Sofia cutting into their hot muffins with due care, and slathering butter on each half. Then, because they didn't do anything by halves, Rikki would pour maple syrup, breathing the sticky, caramelised sugary scent of muffins, before digging in, their heads almost touching each other as they did.

Fifteen minutes later, and they were out, running down to the subway on Fulton Street, where Sofia got the train to go home. At the top of the steps, they stood there for a while, just looking at each other, oblivious to the jostle and bustle and the press of the crowd around them. Sofia gave a small wave, before dipping her head, and disappearing into the crowd, only to turn around, and flashed a quick wave before disappearing in the belly of the underground. Rikki stood there, her bag feeling suddenly heavy, because Sofia was no longer here.


End file.
